?Ex-Barcelona icon Xavi has claimed that Lionel Messi should stay at the Camp Nou until he retires, after it has been strongly rumoured that the Argentine legend has already put pen-to-paper and signed a contract extension with the club.

Messi’s contract expires at the end of the season, but it is believed that he is most likely to remain with the Catalan giants.

As reported by Goal, Xavi spoke of Messi’s importance to the club, and stated that he felt Barça would stand more chance of winning league titles with the 30-year-old at the club. Xavi stated:

“We are not sure (if he has signed) as the Barca president said (he has). “But for me, it’s done. Leo Messi needs Barca and especially Barca need Messi.

“It would be very good for Barcelona if Messi stayed there for his entire career. As a member of Barcelona, I would like Messi to remain at Barcelona for his entire career because we have a better chance of winning titles if he stays at Barca. He is the best player in the history of the game”.

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Messi has become arguably the greatest player in footballing history with Barcelona, becoming one the most prolific scorers in the game.

To date, Messi has netted 525 times in 601 games for his club, and currently has 12 goals in 12 matches this season. The skilful forward will be pivotal to Barça’s title hopes this season, and they currently sit four points clear at the top.